{"id":3510,"date":"2015-09-29T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-29T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/?p=3510"},"modified":"2019-02-03T11:36:31","modified_gmt":"2019-02-03T16:36:31","slug":"why-30-million-words-are-critical-to-your-childs-future-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.readbrightly.com\/why-30-million-words-are-critical-to-your-childs-future-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Why 30 Million Words Are Critical to Your Child\u2019s Future Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s hard to wrap your mind around the concept of 30 million anything<\/em>. It\u2019s the population of Malaysia. It\u2019s the number of Ashley Madison accounts unearthed by hackers. The price of a castle in Kentucky.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also the gap between the number of words a well-to-do child hears by the end of age 3, versus any one of their less fortunate peers. Thirty million words. <\/em>And that gap has a persistent impact on learning, literacy, and education.<\/p>\n

Crazy, right? I spoke to Professor Dana Suskind, MD, founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative <\/a>and author of the book<\/a> of the same name, about how something as simple as talking is linked to lifelong success.<\/p>\n

So, is it really as simple as ‘Talk?’<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes and no. It comes down to the brain. Talking and language, especially in the first three years, is food for the developing brain.<\/p>\n

What it isn\u2019t<\/em> is 30 million random words. It\u2019s not all about quantity. It\u2019s the quantity and<\/em> quality of the parent talk.<\/p>\n

And we aren\u2019t doing it? That seems so astonishing to me.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Researchers] Betty Hart and Todd Risley shined a light on the impact of poverty and stress and culture on how much parents talk and interact.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s also the emergence of attention-consuming technology \u2014 the iPads and the iPhones. Go to any park and see that parent talk is being impacted. The brain still needs it.<\/p>\n

How does parent talk work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Parent talk doesn\u2019t just build babies\u2019 brains and vocabulary. It builds all aspects of a child and their academic trajectory, executive function, social-emotional skills. Even math and spatial skills. Kids hear more number and measurements words. Even generosity. The real crux of the book that is fact that parent talk builds all aspects of our children\u2019s success \u2014 and you don\u2019t have to buy any technology or toys.<\/p>\n

How is talking \u2014 in particularly, parentese \u2014 linked to literacy? Cooing seems the opposite of, you know, SAT words.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Baby talk always gets trashed. It\u2019s not gaga googoo;<\/em> it\u2019s the intonation. What\u2019s interesting is that it helps a baby tune in. It helps get the baby\u2019s attention. In studies, the brain lights up with parentese. It\u2019s such an important part. Parents do it all over the world.<\/p>\n

The singsong voice helps the babies parse words and segments of words and sounds. When we\u2019re born, it\u2019s not like the speech has clear breaks. Parentese helps baby\u2019s brain understand letters, phonemes, words. It\u2019s incredibly important.<\/p>\n

The crux of the book is the Three Ts. Can you tell me a little bit about how they work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thirty million words is a metaphor for richness in language environment. We culled it down to three basic things a parent needs to do to provide a rich language environment.<\/p>\n

Tune in<\/span>.\u00a0<\/em>This is the first step. You need to be tuned in to what your child is focused on for language to stick. If they\u2019re distracted by a TV show, they aren\u2019t really hearing you.<\/p>\n

Talk more<\/span>.\u00a0<\/em>Tune in, and then start talking about what you\u2019re doing. Start narrating. What do you say to a 3-month-old? You can talk about the laundry you\u2019re doing, whatever you\u2019re cooking, what\u2019s happening in the here and now or in the future or the past. And use rich words to go along with it.<\/p>\n

Take turns<\/span>.\u00a0<\/em>It\u2019s hard to think of babies as a conversation partner; before they have words, it feels foreign. But from day one \u2014 or almost from day one \u2014 they\u2019re practicing having a conversation with gestures, grimaces, babbles. You can respond and keep it going. That\u2019s the crux of a rich language environment.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

How to Practice 30 Million Words at Home<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Thirty million sounds unfathomable, but, in reality, you get there one word at a time. Here are some examples that any<\/em> parent can do to develop a rich language environment at home. As Suskind explains, \u201cEvery routine and activity can be an opportunity for brain building and language.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting dressed \u2014 and counting<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Tune In:<\/i> A parent notices that a toddler wants to help dress him- or herself in the morning.<\/li>\n
  • Talk More:<\/i> \u201cYour romper has five snaps. Can you help Mommy count them? One, two, three, four, five. Five snaps to snap and you\u2019ll be ready to go.”<\/li>\n
  • Take Turns:<\/i> The child takes turns by snapping the snaps and counting with Mom. One\u2026 Two\u2026 Three\u2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Playing dress-up \u2014 and learning about size and scale<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Tune In<\/i>: A child walks around the living room wearing his father\u2019s shoes.<\/li>\n
    • Talk More:<\/i>\u00a0“You\u2019re wearing Daddy\u2019s shoes. They sure are big on you! Daddy has big feet so he needs big shoes. Look at the difference in Daddy\u2019s feet compared to yours. Yours are much smaller.”<\/li>\n
    • Take Turns: \u201c<\/i>Whose shoes are bigger? Daddy\u2019s or yours? Right! Daddy\u2019s shoes are much bigger than yours. But your feet are growing. That\u2019s why we needed to buy you new shoes last week. Your old shoes were squeezing your toes. They were much too small.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Helping mom with a problem \u2014 and learning emotional self-regulation and problem-solving<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Tune In:<\/i> Mom is headed out the door but just realized she can\u2019t find her keys. Mom explains without sounding annoyed or stressed.<\/li>\n
      • Talk More:<\/i> \u201cI don\u2019t believe I lost my keys again. This is the third time this week I\u2019ve misplaced them. I\u2019m really upset with myself. I\u2019m going to be late for work. Can you help Mommy look for her keys?\u201d<\/li>\n
      • Take Turns:<\/i> \u201cDo you see the keys under the table? That was good thinking to look there because Mommy sometimes leaves her keys on top. They could have fallen. Should we look on the kitchen counter too?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        With younger babies and newborns, it\u2019s less about the script, and more about simply narrating what you\u2019re doing and responding to their coos and gurgles. Those coos and gurgles will become babble will become \u201cball\u201d and \u201cdog\u201d and full on sentences, soon enough \u2014 and at each stage, the words you speak, and how <\/em>you speak them, are building baby\u2019s brain.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        The interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n

        Professor Dana Suskind, MD, is both founder and director of the Thirty Million Words Initiative, which is based on scientific research that demonstrates the critical importance of early language exposure on the developing child.\u00a0Dr. Suskind received the University of Chicago Medical Faculty Award as \u201cDistinguished Leader in Program Innovation.\u201d She is an advisor on The Clinton Foundation\u2019s\u00a0Too Small to Fail initiative and part of the White House initiative on creating a pathway to ending the achievement gap. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.<\/em><\/p>\n

        no no 9780525954873 Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain<\/i> http:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/316983\/thirty-million-words-by-dana-suskind-md\/ Dana Suskind, MD <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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